From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhauntinghaunt‧ing /ˈhɔːntɪŋ $ ˈhɒːn-/ adjective SAD/UNHAPPYsad but also beautiful and staying in your thoughts for a long time a haunting melody —hauntingly adverb
Examples from the Corpus
haunting• In 1942 Eric Ennion wrote Adventurers Fen, celebrating its birdlife and the haunting beauty of its landscape.• Wistfully, I looked back at the haunting beauty of the well.• It's a haunting book, pulsing with a numb silence before the scream.• For years, I have kept this haunting expression of the need to pray close by me.• Gone was the haunting melancholy, the air not so much of discontent as of incompleteness.• As the two men embark on a journey of self-discovery, the haunting music of Gigli punctuates their revelations.• It has already firmly lodged itself, like some haunting vision, in my mind.• Dreams, predictions, a haunting vocal soundtrack and a glamorous set establish Transfer's new show a characteristically rich theatrical presentation. 